Ink development

Abstract

In one example, a development cycle of a binary ink developer, BID, is timed. Timing may be based on the length of a substrate in which the image is to be printed or the size of the image or the area to be printed with the ink associated to the BID.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A method comprising:
 timing a development cycle of a binary ink developer, BID, on the basis of a length of a substrate in which the image is to be printed or a size of the image or an area to be printed with the ink associated to the BID, 
 wherein timing is performed so that the start of a turn-off procedure of the BID occurs before a conclusion of the development of ink to be used for a print operation. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the timing comprises synchronizing the development cycle to an upper or lower margin of a page, image or print area to be printed. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the timing comprises calculating an amount of ink to be transferred to a developer roller to correspond to a lower margin of a page, image or print area to be printed. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising mechanically engaging a developer roller to a photoreceptor at a time corresponding to transfer of the ink associated with an upper margin of a page, image, or print area to be printed. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4 , wherein the developer roller is mechanically disengaged from the photoreceptor before the photoreceptor transfers the ink corresponding to a last portion of a page, image, or print area to be printed on a substrate. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the timing is repeated for different inks. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , further comprising determining different upper and lower margins for different inks. 
     
     
       8. A system to control ink development from a developer roller to a photoreceptor, the system to perform at least one of:
 starting the development of ink in correspondence with an upper margin of a page, image or print area; and 
 concluding the development of ink in correspondence with a lower margin of a page, image or print area, 
 wherein the at least one developer roller comprises a plurality of ink developers, each ink developer being assigned an ink print area, and 
 wherein the system is to define different upper margins and/or lower margins for at least two ink print areas. 
 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 8 , wherein the at least one developer roller comprises at least a developer roller to be engaged to the photoreceptor and an electrode to develop ink. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 9 , wherein the system is to develop ink by energizing at least one of the developer roller and the electrode, so that the electrode starts being shut off before the developer roller starts being shut off, so that the developer roller continues developing ink to reach a lower margin of the page, image or print area to be printed. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 10 , wherein the system shuts off the electrode when the ink on the developer roller that corresponds to a last portion of the page, image, or print area to be printed contacts a squeegee roller, wherein the ink on the developer roller contacts the squeegee roller before contacting the photoreceptor. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 8 , wherein the ink developer is controlled to engage to the developer roller to the photoreceptor in correspondence with a particular position on a substrate, such that a distance between the particular position and the upper margin on the substrate corresponds to a rotation angle of the developer roller between the electrode and a contact point of the developer roller with the photoreceptor. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 12 , wherein the developer roller is disengaged from the photoreceptor before the photoreceptor transfers the ink corresponding to a lower margin of the page, image, or print area to be printed to the substrate. 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the at least one developer roller comprises a plurality of developer rollers each corresponding to a different ink color; 
 when each developer roller of the plurality of developer rollers is mechanically engaged to the photoreceptor, all other developer rollers of the plurality of developer rollers are mechanically disengaged from the photoreceptor; and 
 timing of mechanical engaging and disengaging for each developer roller of the plurality of developer rollers is based on the upper and lower margins of the corresponding ink colors of the image to be printed. 
 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 14 , wherein the mechanical disengaging of all of the plurality of developer rollers occurs before the lower margin of the image is printed on the substrate. 
     
     
       16. A non-transitory memory device comprising executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to:
 control a developer roller to start or conclude ink development operations based on dimensional parameters of an image or print area to be printed; and 
 mechanically engage the developer roller to a photoreceptor at a time corresponding to transfer of ink associated with an upper margin of a page, image, or print area to be printed. 
 
     
     
       17. The memory device of  claim 15 , wherein the instructions are to cause the processor to control a positional relationship between the ink deposited on the developer roller and a line of the substrate.